


Slave of the Ancestors

by Shea



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Dragon AU, Dragon!Keith, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Human!Lance, Light Angst, M/M, Magic, Magical!Keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2018-12-18 23:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11885193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shea/pseuds/Shea
Summary: When Lance crash-landed his ship in the middle of nowhere, he didn't expect to be taken in by a dragon of all things. Nor did he expect to suddenly be taken captive by said dragon. Now stuck in a small cave, with an aloof mystery dragon-man, all Lance can do is hope that it gets better. Much, much better.





	1. Captive

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a one-shot and well, now it's not lol. I hope I don't make it too, too long- but we'll see. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

The harsh, cold wind bit at Lance’s skin as he trudged through the snow. Leave it to him to crash in the middle of nowhere in the frozen wastelands. There was nothing to be seen for miles but snow and dull, gray skies. In the distance appeared to be mountains, but that looked miles away. A particularly hard gust of wind blew, nearly toppling the lanky man over. He groaned, tugging his coat around tighter around himself.

Everything had been going so well… he thought, anyway. He _did_ always have the tendency to think everything was fine when in fact everything was _not_ fine. But he hadn’t crashed in almost a whole week! Even Hunk and Pidge were thoroughly impressed. Lance could practically feel his pilot’s license in his hands. It was _right there._ And now… well, that dream seemed to be shot.

“C-Can’t get my license if I die here.” He muttered to no one in particular.

Maybe it wasn’t his best idea to take a “practice flight” all by himself. But, hey, if he couldn’t fly on his own, what kind of pilot would he be? Plus it was absolutely exhilarating to fly in the middle of the night. Nothing but the night sky, the stars, and sleepy cities underneath him. He felt free, open; like there was nothing stopping him from just… flying away. It was fine… up until he made to turn and head back. Then everything just went downhill from there.

It started with a rough shaking, but without Hunk there, Lance couldn’t tell what was wrong. And he certainly couldn’t leave the helm to check it out. He smelled the tell-tale scent of smoke and burning metal and had time to think “oh no” before he was crash-landing _in the middle of frecking nowhere._

He wasn’t badly injured, luckily enough. Just a couple scrapes and bruises. But the ship… she was done for. It took nearly a half hour to untangle himself from the mess and try to figure out where he was. Once Lance figured out he had absolutely no idea, and no form of contact, he suppressed the panic rising inside of him, and decided to get moving.

Lance paused in his trek to look up at the dreary sky, pouring down more only more snow. It seemed to be getting worse… Great. _Just_ great. He was still miles from the nearest shelter, and his nose and fingers already felt like falling off. He violently shivered and then continued on, ignoring the painfully cold and wet feeling in his boots. He _would_ get out of here. He _would_ survive. His family was counting on him… He had to get home…

~~~~~~

_“Lance,” A painfully familiar voice said in a calm tone that immediately calmed his nerves. “_ Mi chico querido.”

_“Mama,” Lance mumbled, his chest swelling with love and admiration for his mother. “I miss you.”_

_“Wake up,_ cariño. _You will see me soon.”_

_“What?” Lance blinked and tried to reach out for the blurred image of her, only to realize he didn’t have functioning arms. “Mama, don’t go!”_

_“Wake up, Lance. Wake up, please. And I promise you will see me soon. But you must wake up now.”_

~~~~~~

Lance awoke with a start, sitting up on the… dry, warm ground? He blinked in confusion, panting slightly from his disturbed sleep, as he glanced around. He was… in a cave, of some sort, it seemed. A very, very tall cave; he couldn’t see the ceiling when he looked up, but there was no snow. It was also very warm, which he figured the large fire in the middle of the cave could be the culprit. Still, he wasn’t complaining.

_How did I get here?_ He wondered to himself, huddling closer to the kind fire. He’d definitely been stuck out in the snow… right? He must’ve passed out… But then… who brought him here? It definitely didn’t seem like any human had been here, recently anyway. In the corner was a pile of what looked like medieval knight’s armor.

“Woah, cool…” Lance muttered despite himself, wandering over to get a closer look. This stuff definitely hadn’t been touched in _ages,_ but still looked fully functional. Maybe. On the breastplate of one piece of armor was painted an ancient symbol Lance had never seen before. He reached out to brush his fingers over the broad brushstrokes.

No sooner had he touched the cold metal was there a loud rumbling, loose rocks and dust falling from the cave ceiling. Lance yelped and jumped back, falling on his butt. The wall on the other side of the cave began to move, and then Lance realized it wasn’t a wall at all, and the cave was _a lot_ bigger than he originally thought.

The very large creature moved- turned around, it looked like, until it was facing Lance. It was very tall, red, and scaly. He had to lean his head back to look up at the creature’ head, and all too slowly did he realize he was looking at a dragon.

A fucking _dragon._

He was too dumbfounded to speak. A fairytale creature? Seriously? Right in front of him? He was already dead… wasn’t he? What did it want with him? Was it going to eat him!?

 Before Lance could properly freak out, the dragon opened its large mouth. “You’re awake.” It said in a… very human voice? Somehow a very calming, even male voice. Lance… kind of liked it, actually. “Are you injured?” Lance noticed when it (he?) spoke, their mouth didn’t move. It just remained open.

The brunette had to take a few minutes before he found the guts to speak. “I-I- no, Mister Dragon. Where… Uh, where am I?”

The dragon shifted its weight around and then lied down on its forelimbs in front of Lance. Its head was only a few feet above his, and Lance realized it had very pretty purple eyes. Very fitting, he thought oddly enough.

“You’re up North, in the mountains.” They answered plainly enough. Lance had a pretty good idea where that was in comparison to his home, and school. Miles and miles away.

“Ah, shoot…” Lance sighed, running a hand through his short hair. “I am so massively screwed.”

The dragon before him tilted his large head in a curious manner. “Why…?”

“I’m like… really, _really_ far away from where I need to be, and my-“ Lance paused, and then glanced up at his host. “I don’t supposed you’d-“

“No.”

“What!? Why not? Come on! Please?” Lance begged, even sitting up on his knees and folding his hands in front of him.

“I do not give mortals rides.” The dragon huffed, tufts of smoke puffing out of his nostrils.

“But… How am I supposed to get home?”

“You don’t. You trespassed. You stay here now.” The dragon said simply. He adjusted his weight again, as though challenging Lance to try him.

“What do you mean I trespassed?”

“You trespassed into my territory on your carriage. And now you will stay here.”

Lance looked stunned. “Carriage? What? I-I can’t stay here! I have… I have my family! My friends! School! I-I’m going to be a pilot!”

“You’ve never met a dragon, have you?” If dragons could roll their eyes, Lance was pretty sure this one would have. “We hoard things. It’s a habit, I guess. You trespassed, and now, you’re mine.” He pointed a large black claw about the same length as Lance’s arm at him.

Lance felt like he could pass out again. “So… I’m stuck here… forever?”

“Or until I decide to let you leave. But that rarely happens.”

Lance sat back against the cave wall- the one he was _sure_ was not a dragon- and ran a hand over his face. He felt dizzy, and sick. There was no way this was real… right? This was a hoax, or a dream! Hunk and Pidge were pranking him. But… this dragon seemed really real. And so did that warm fire.

Still… stuck here? Never to see his friends, or his family again? With just this… dragon guy for company? Not even a cute girl? There had to be a way to get out… Lance refused to give up!

“ _Cariño_.” His mother’s voice sounded in his voice, and Lance’s eyes almost welled with tears. Almost. _I’ll get home, Mama. I promise._

Lance was about to ask another question to the dragon before the dragon shuddered violently, the cave shaking again. A large red puff of smoke enveloped Lance and everything in the cave, but somehow the fire stayed in-tact. Lance coughed as the substance overtook his airways, and then blinked when it cleared. Suddenly there was no dragon. He almost thought the cave was now empty again. But instead, there was a person standing where the dragon was. He was about Lance’s height, maybe a few inches shorter, with black hair and those same purple eyes. Instead of normal clothes, though, he was draped in a large red cloak wrapped completely around him. He frowned at Lance, clearly unimpressed.

“If you have something to say, say it.” He muttered, and Lance was momentarily shocked that his mouth moved like a normal person’s.

“You- You just- You’re not- Are you a _magic_ dragon!?” Lance stammered.

The man before him blinked and made a face. “No. Just a normal one.”

Lance looked him over once again and then shook his head to clear his thoughts. “So… what do I call you then? Master? Sir?”

The dragon-man made a face again and then shrugged a shoulder. “I have no name. There’s no need to address me.”

“But… if I’m gonna be stuck here, can’t I at least talk to you? You know, for company?”

“Have you mortals always been so whiney and annoying?” He sighed, his eyes shut with irritation before he opened them again. “Choose whatever name you wish for me. It makes no difference to me.”

“Hm…” Lance rubbed his chin as he stood up. He studied the man before him closely, circling him. The cloaked stranger eyed him wearily, watching his every move with caution. Lance minutely wondered if he could use magic or something in this state. “I’m gonna call you Keith.”

Purple eyes blinked in slight confusion at this innocent statement. “Keith?”

“Yeah. It seems to suit you.” Lance shrugged.

“Fine. Whatever. Strange mortals…” Keith shook his head and spun around, his cloak fanning out around him. Lance resisted the urge to touch. “You do not cross to this side. It’s forbidden.”

“Why?” Lance tilted his head curiously.

“Because it’s forbidden. That’s why.” Keith replied. “Anything else, you are welcome to.”

“What about food? Drink? I still gotta, you know, survive.”

“I’ll find sustenance. There will be no need for you to leave. Not without me.”

Lance was about to ask something else, or rather, make a smart remark, before Keith suddenly disappeared. He frowned at the spot the stranger had once occupied, and then plopped down beside the fire again. His eyes scanned around the cave, at all the gold and treasure. He sighed wearily.

“Just what in the hell have I gotten myself into now?”


	2. Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Lance is kind of ooc in this chapter- but it'll get better I promise

The cave wasn’t all that bad- Lance wanted to say. He’d kept himself busy with building small towers out of rocks, studying the suits of armor, and exploring all twenty square feet of the cave. To say he was bored was a _gross_ understatement. At least the fire never went out, somehow. He suspected it was Keith’s magic fire or something. It got too warm for him to wear his jacket, but in just his jeans and t-shirt, he couldn’t complain.

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t though.

Keith wasn’t around for most of the day. What he was doing, Lance had no idea. He wondered if he spent most of his time as a dragon, or as a man that liked to occasionally turn into a dragon. He also wondered if he’d hit his head really hard when he’d crashed and was having an elaborate hallucination.

“So, hey,” Lance said while Keith sat in “his side” of the cave. “How long have you been out here?”

Keith, in his dragon form, tilted his large head a little. He opened an eye to look at Lance. “Why does it matter?”

“Just, making conversation! I’m gonna be stuck here forever, aren’t I? Might as well, I dunno, make the most of it?” He shrugged casually. But the thought of his family still made him anxious and sad.

Keith rested his head on the cave floor, several feet in front of Lance. “I’ve been around for hundreds of years.”

“You’re joking!” Lance sat up, staring at him. “Seriously? Are you like, immortal?”

“Obviously.” Keith sighed out of his nose, smoke rising out of his nostrils again.

“That’s… pretty sad, man.”

Keith blinked at him, his huge eyes obviously confused as he stared at Lance. “That’s… not what I expected.”

“What did you expect?” Lance asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“I suppose I expected all human to… _want_ immortality; to think it’s cool, or something. Not… sad.”

“But, it is. I mean, why would you _want_ to live forever? Your friends, and your family, you’d outlive them, wouldn’t you?”

“You care a great deal for your friends and family, don’t you? You’ve mentioned them about ten times…”

“Well, yeah.” Lance shrugged. “They make me happy.” Keith went quiet and Lance blinked once, tilting his head. “Haven’t you ever had friends, or family?”

Keith just sighed once again. “Dragons have no need for social interactions like that.”

“But… you’re not _just_ a dragon. I mean, you talk, and you can turn into a human, too.”

“That doesn’t matter. I was born as this, and I’ll live as this.” Keith shut his eyes once again, as though to indicate the conversation was over. But Lance never knew when to shut up.

“So, have you ever met any other dragons? Or humans, for that matter?”

“Dragons, yes. Humans… a handful of times.”

“Got any interesting stories?”

“I don’t know what you would find interesting.”

“Hm…” Lance tapped his chin. “Tell me about the first dragon you met!”

“….” Keith opened his eyes again and studied the young man for a few moments, as though deciding whether or not he was worthy to hear this story. Lance waited patiently, his hands on his ankles as he stared up at him. He idly found himself wondering what all those scales felt like. Keith wasn’t ever close enough for him to touch.

“The first time I met another dragon I was only a few years old.” Keith started. “I’ve been on my own pretty much since birth, so it was pretty surprising to see someone, or some _thing,_ like me. I wasn’t a threat to them, as a dragonet, so they allowed me to stay within their territory. They answered a few questions for me, until they pointed me to an unoccupied mountain range. Here.”

“…That’s it?” Lance asked once he stopped talking.

Keith blinked once at him. “What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. I guess more fire-breathing! And, I don’t know, talking? Did you even know their name?”

“I already told you, dragons don’t have names.”

“Still!”

Keith sighed again. “We aren’t… a sociable species. Most dragons live without ever seeing another one. Some are fortunate enough to never see any humans.”

“Fortunate?” Lance pouted at him. “What’s wrong with humans?”

Keith stared at him. “Most try to kill us. Some try to steal from us. Those that manage to kill sell our scales and bones for profit.”

“…Okay, fair point.” Lance nodded and then blinked, looking at Keith’s unamused face. “Is that why you take humans captive like this? So they don’t tell other humans…”

Keith grunted once. “You’re not as stupid as you seem.”

“Yeah, well, I can be pretty-“ Lance grinned, running a hand through his hair before he paused. “Hey! I can be vey smart, thank you!”

“Hm. I’m sure that’s why you decided it’d be a good idea to go flying by yourself, at night, and crash-landing in the middle of nowhere.”

Lance pouted. “…the crash-landing wasn’t part of the plan…” He huffed lightly before softening a little bit. He was being held here because Keith was afraid he’d be hunted down and killed by other humans. Although from what Lance could tell, that’d probably be really difficult what with Keith’s size and magic and all. Still… it seemed like Keith _wasn’t_ just an evil, hoarding dragon. That didn’t mean Lance had to actually _like_ him though.

Still, there had to be a middle ground. Get Keith to join the human society- or at least convince him Lance wouldn’t tell a soul. Suddenly Lance’s mission went from just escaping Keith’s grasp, to making sure he wasn’t afraid of humans anymore.


	3. Flying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for leaving this for months on end. But season 5 has given me inspiration and motivation once again!! Thanks for reading!

Every time Lance slept, he dreamt about flying. Not in a ship, but on his own, soaring through the sky like he’d been doing it all his life. The city life passing beneath him would be bustling with life, but no one would look up or even notice him. Which was fine with Lance; he’d rather not be shot down, thanks. 

Every time, he would notice a dark figure in the distance. It was difficult to make out, and painful to look at; like looking at something in front of the sun. But Lance was drawn to it, driven to find out what it was. He sped up, eager to find this discovery. As he got closer, it got bigger, and Lance could tell it was a living creature. A large, red, living creature. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say it was… 

At this moment, just before he got close enough to tell what, or who, it was, Lance would wake up. Every time. 

Waking up in the dark, depressing cave was really starting to depress  _ him.  _ Call it cabin-fever, but Lance really needed to get out for a while. He’d prefer flying, but apparently Keith didn’t like giving people rides, and Lance hadn’t sprouted wings overnight. 

“So, listen.” Lance said aloud over a yawn. Keith grunted once to acknowledge him, smoke puffing out of his nostrils. “I can’t go back to any human civilization, right?”

“That is the deal.”

“But can’t I go outside? Just… right outside?”

Keith was quiet for a few moments. Lance silently hoped and prayed he hadn’t fallen asleep, or chosen to ignore him. “I guess.” The dragon finally answered, standing up on all four limbs. Lance hadn’t seen his full size before, and honestly, Keith was only scarier. Way bigger than Lance’s entire house, maybe even the whole Garrison building. When he spread his wings, it only made him even  _ bigger,  _ and even scarier. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Lance was surprised at how big the cave was to house such a large creature. 

“Come, the only way out is up.” 

_ Well, I guess that destroys any chance for escape.  _ Lance thought as he stood up. “So… How am I supposed to- hey hey hey hey, woah!” His question was cut off when Keith picked up Lance’s hood between his teeth and set off. 

Lance’s legs and arms flailed wildly as he tried to reach for  _ something  _ to hold onto. “Keith! I don’t like this! I don’t-” 

His complaints stopped when they breached the cave (or dormant volcano maybe?) entrance. The mountains were  _ covered  _ in snow as far as they could see. There was a valley down below, which must’ve been where Lance had crashed and then drifted. The sight before him gave him chills, and not just because of the wintry weather. It was  _ stunning.  _ Sure, flying in ships, he’d seen things like this before. But flying in the open air was completely different. He didn’t even mind Keith carrying him like this anymore. The snow seemed thick and pillowy enough to catch him. 

Keith headed into valley and landed with practiced ease, dropping Lance in the snow as he descended. 

“You did that on purpose!” Lance exclaimed, his head popping back out. 

Keith shrugged a little, in his human form now. He wore the same red cloak, only it was open enough to reveal that he was, in fact, wearing clothes and not just the cloak. “Sorry.”

“No you’re not.” Lance muttered. He stood up and brushed the snow off of his clothes. Inhaling deep through his nose, he sighed. “Fresh air feels good.” 

“I suppose.” Keith replied, shrugging once again. He took a few steps forward. He seemed a little wobbly and unsure, like a toddler still not used to walking. Lance realized that Keith probably didn’t walk around as a human very often. An evil idea popped into his head. 

Keith wasn’t more than a few steps away, taking in their surroundings. He also seemed a little… defensive. It reminded Lance of a dog protecting its territory. Without giving much thought, he scooped up a large handful of snow and hurled it at Keith. 

Unsteady already, Keith didn’t stand a chance. He fell foward into the snow, although he caught himself on his hands. “What was that!?” 

“Called a snowball.” Lance answered with a smirk, tossing another between his hands. 

“Don’t throw anoth-” Keith spluttered when he was hit in the face with more snow. Lance couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Come on, you’re not even going to fight back?” 

“What’s the point?” Keith asked, standing up once again. “There’s endless snow here, and it’s not like it effects either of us. Much.” 

“It’s just for fun. A snowball fight. You know?” Lance paused. It was likely Keith  _ didn’t  _ know about snowball fights, or even the concept of fun. His suspicion was proven right, judging by the confused look on his face. “Look. I’ll give you a free shot.” Lance formed another snowball and then handed it to Keith. “Now, throw it at me.”

Violet eyes darted between the hunk of snow in his hands and Lance. Then he wound up and flung it at him. It was a direct hit to the face. It was cold, but not unbearingly so. And seeing the amused twitch of Keith’s lips made Lance smile. “See? Pretty fun, right?” 

“You realize if I wanted, I could melt most of the snow here.” 

“But you won’t.” Lance said, making another ball. “Because this is  _ fun. _ ” 

“Perhaps.” Keith answered and started making his own. 

“Just wait until I show you snow angels. And snowmen.” 

~~~~~~

Once Lance’s shoes were really soaked through and his hands were burning red, they decided to go. This time, Keith let him ride on the back of his neck. He held onto a pair of horns on the back of his head, just for extra stability. It wasn’t so scary this time around. In fact, he even enjoyed it. 

“Can we just… fly around for a bit?” He asked semi-consciously. 

Sitting like this, he couldn’t see Keith’s reactions. But after a slight moment of hesitation he turned a few degrees to the right. “There’s nothing but mountains and that valley for miles. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, sure. But I like flying around. Makes me feel… free, somehow.”

“Free…” Keith repeated absently, as though in a trance. He started flying though, twisting and turning in the air. 

Riding a dragon was definitely  _ much  _ different than riding in a ship. Lance could feel the power in Keith’s body with every flap of his wings. He radiated heat, just cool enough for Lance to still be comfortable. Here, Keith was completely in control and Lance was just going along for the ride. But Lance found he didn’t really mind that. So long as he wasn’t dropped in any snow again. 

Keith pulled up to fly over the crest of a rather tall mountain and Lance couldn’t contain his excitement as they soared downwards. He let go to throw his hands into the air. 

“Woohooo!!” He hollered. “This is so frecking awesome!” 

Outside of Lance’s field of vision, Keith couldn’t help a tiny smile on his face. 


	4. Wandering

“So, you said you’ve met humans before me?” Lance asked, about eight days into his sentence. 

Keith looked up from whatever he was doing on his side of the cave. He was in his human form, which he had taken on more often lately. “Yes?” 

“What happened? I mean, was it like this? With me?”

“Not quite…” Keith mumbled. His eyes flicked over to the knight’s armor in the corner. 

Lance decided to try his luck. “What happened?”

Keith hesitated, worrying at the gloves on his hands. He didn’t look at Lance. “Why does it matter?” 

“I’m just curious. Come on, please?” He sat for a moment, in silence as Keith didn’t answer. “I’ll tell you about my family, and friends. I have a  _ lot  _ of really cool stories.” 

Keith picked his way over to the firepit with Lance, taking a seat a few feet away. “Most of them, I killed.” He said quietly but bluntly. “Not through any real choice of mine, of course. But they came with the intent to kill  _ me. _ ”

“You mentioned that, earlier. That humans have hunted and killed dragons.” 

Keith nodded. “It’s an old fairy-tale trope for you, isn’t it? The knight in shining armor kills the big bad dragon and he and the princess get married and live happily after? Well, it’s not much of a happily ever after for us. Especially considering we don’t involve ourselves with humans.” He sighed, a deep and heartbreaking sigh that made Lance feel sorry for him. “Not all of them are like that, though.” 

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t tried to kill me yet.” Keith said, looking at him. “At least, not yet.” 

Lance scoffed. “What am I gonna do? Throw some old armor at you? Besides, it’s not like… you’ve tortured me and stuff.” 

Keith nodded a little bit and then leaned back. “So, your stories?”

“Oh, dude, where do I begin?” 

It only felt like a few minutes, but as Lance continued talking about his family, and his life at the Garrison, and poking fun at Keith, the sky had turned dark and shone only with the moon and stars. It wasn’t like he had to get up for school, though. And the more he talked, the more interested Keith looked. Lance couldn’t deny, having someone like this pretty interested in him was a confidence boost. Well, interested in his stories at least. 

“It sounds like humans have changed a lot since I last really… interacted with them.” Keith said after a while. He’d drawn his legs up, his arms wrapped around them, and for a minute, he didn’t seem like a scary magic dragon person keeping him prisoner. He asked questions often too. Things about how humanity has changed, what kind of inventions had come around, new customs. He had an air of disinterest in the race that had killed his kind, but Lance had a feeling he was more intrigued than he let on. 

Lance paused to suck in a long yawn. Keith blinked once before standing. “We’ve talked for too long. You’re tired.” 

“No, no, it’s- I’m okay, really.” Lance insisted, biting back another. He was afraid if they stopped, he’d never get another moment to talk like this again with Keith. 

“You need to sleep.” Keith insisted anyway. He crossed over back to his area. Much like when he switched to his human form, he had a violent shudder and the room was filled with red smoke. When it cleared, Keith was back in his monstrous dragon form. His large feet padded at the cavern floor before he spread his wings. “I’m going to fly around. Observe the area and stuff.” 

“Be my guest.” Lance sighed, resting his chin in his palm. 

Keith took off, a large gust of wind shaking the cave from his powerful wings. Lance felt tired, but he also didn’t want to go to sleep. At least, not without Keith here. He was supposed to be keeping him hostage, sure. But, in a way, Lance also felt protected. He knew how selfish dragons were, judging by Keith’s attitude and stories. He wouldn’t allow Lance to be taken, or killed. But without him here… 

Lance found himself pacing around anxiously. He wouldn’t be able to sleep like this, even if he really wanted to. His eyes wandered about the cave, looking for  _ something  _ to do, when they paused on the opposite wall. Keith’s side. Curiosity tugged on the edge of his mind like a cat tugging on string. Keith  _ said  _ it was forbidden, but surely… He could explain, right? I mean, if he was going to live here for the rest of his life, he had a right to know the space, didn’t he? 

Without thinking  _ too  _ much on it, he wandered over, past a break in a large pile of gold to the other side of the cave. It looked more or less like Lance’s side, only with more… things. But while the other side had old armor, treasure, and fire, this side had only books and drawings. Lance wasn’t sure how, (did dragons have tape? Thumbtacks? Other office supplies?) but he had several drawings hanging on his walls. He tiptoed over to get a closer look at some of them. Several of them were only diagrams, explaining different inventions and theories by humans. Closer to the bottom however were actual photographs, and not just drawings, much to Lance’s surprise. Two were of just Keith; one far away of him up in the sky, the other much closer in this very cave. A handful had some guy, obviously the photographer. He looked funny, at least to Lance, but also unknowingly handsome. Like, he was really attractive, only he didn’t know it. He had some weird white forelock, but the rest of his hair was black. He had a horizontal scar across his nose that looked fresh in some pictures, healed in others. Lance wondered if Keith had injured him, and had been stuck here long enough for it to heal. 

His eyes scanned more photos, and it seemed like this guy had been on a vacation rather than being held prisoner. In a few, Keith was also there, though in his human form. It was obvious he didn’t expect his picture to be taken, but he was also… having a good time. He seemed more relaxed, and was pretty close with the guy. Lance felt a twinge of jealousy and self-consciousness. Why was this guy able to make friends with this dragon, when Lance had only been able to have one real conversation with him? What was  _ their  _ connection, and why couldn’t Lance have one?

At the next photo, he supposed he had his answer. There it was, plain as day, they were definitely more than friends. In this one, Keith was asleep, leaning on the guy’s shoulder. The stranger’s arm was wrapped protectively but comfortingly around Keith, his mouth pressed against the top of Keith’s head. More than that, though, Keith definitely seemed relaxed and at peace. He could trust this guy while he slept. Lance didn’t even  _ know  _ he slept, he was always awake when he went to sleep and woke up again. 

With a disinterested grunt, he turned away only to stumble over a thick book. It was  _ ancient,  _ and definitely recently used. Lance couldn’t understand the text on it, but that didn’t stop him from picking it up and flipping through the pages. 

“What are you doing here?” An angry voice sounded behind him. 

Lance yelped in surprise, dropping the book. “Dude, you scared me!”

“What are you doing in here!? I told you not to come on _this_ _side_!” Keith growled, heat radiating out of his mouth like an oven. Lance feared for a moment he might become his next barbecue. 

“Hey, calm down. I was just, exploring, y’know? I’m staying-”

“I don’t care! This was private!” Keith’s eyes darted between Lance, the book, and his wall of pictures. He roared with anger. 

Lance backed away from him, falling back on the pile of gold. “I didn’t mean, I mean… No judgement here. It’s not a big deal.”

“‘Not a big deal’!? It’s not your business!” He was angry. Furious, even. 

Before Lance had another chance to reply, Keith snatched him up by his leg. It wasn’t painful enough for his sharp teeth to really hurt, but he was sure there’d be bruises and a few scratches. He took off up and out of the cave, Lance dangling upside-down. This was even scarier than ever, especially with a pissed off dragon. Was he going to drop him from here? He couldn’t help but scream, this time in terror rather than excitement.

As Keith descended, he did drop Lance. Not far up enough to kill or even seriously injure, but it did hurt falling in the snow like that. Before he even touched down, he was in his human form, his cloak billowing around him. The edges were smoking, like changing form so quickly had singed it. Call Lance crazy, but he looked scarier like this than in his giant dragon form.

“Leave.” He muttered with hatred. 

Lance frowned from his spot in the snow, not even bothered by the bitter cold soaking into his clothes. “Keith, I didn’t mean-”

“Leave!” He yelled again, his fists clenched. “Get out of here! Just, go  _ home _ !” 

Home? Lance paused. He was angry with him… so he was letting him go? “You… You’re not going to kill me?”

Keith seemed to hesitate. Lance hadn’t noticed before, but in this second of hesitation, Keith looked more than mad. He looked hurt… betrayed. “I can’t kill you.” He finally said. “Just go. Away.”

He didn’t give Lance another second. He flashed into a dragon again, and went back to the solitary of his cave. Lance couldn’t move. He sat in the thick snow, staring at the mountain range with a crushed feeling in his chest. He’d messed up. He had some sort of connection with him finally… finally started to get him to not hate humans… and he fucked it up. 

Lance stood up after what seemed like ages, his own guilt and anger at himself building up. He screamed at the top of his lungs, venting these stupid feelings. How could one day go from being so… casual, and even a little fun, to so awful? And so fast?

“KEITH!” 


	5. Insane

Lance had no idea how, but he was able to find his way back to the Garrison. It took about three days, but he managed. When he collapsed on the floor of the entry hall he was cold, tired, and hungry, and in _desperate_ need of a warm shower. But most of all, he was still guilty about betraying Keith’s trust. If that’s what it could have been called. He went back and forth with himself constantly.

_It’s not your fault he’s some anti-social hermit dragon._

_It’s your fault for snooping where you shouldn’t have been…_

_He didn’t have to keep you hostage at all!_

_I didn’t help his fear of humans… I might have made it_ worse.

Seeing Hunk and Pidge again really only made it worse. He was happy to see his friends, don’t get him wrong. He _really_ enjoyed Hunk’s cooking after a full week of charred meat and plants. But it made him feel even guiltier; he had people to return to, including his family. Keith was still alone.

_Stop worrying about him!_

Lance tossed and turned in his bunk, unable to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Keith’s violet eyes, or the pictures of that guy and him, or the sky buzzing by as he rode on Keith’s back. It was _maddening._

“You doing okay up there?” He heard Hunk ask from the bottom bunk.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine…” Lance answered, chewing at his thumb nail.

“You sure? I mean, you crashed in the middle of nowhere and were missing for over a week, out there… by yourself. I mean, I’d be pretty freaked out too.”

Lance sighed and rolled onto his side. “Hunk, I gotta tell you something. But you have to _swear_ you’ll believe me, and won’t think I’m crazy.”

“Okay… Sounds suspicious, but okay.”

Lance hopped down from his bunk and slid in to sit on Hunk’s. His buddy was already sitting up, rubbing his eyes. Lance hugged his legs close to him and worried at his bottom lip for a moment. “So, I wasn’t exactly… wandering in the middle of nowhere, for a week. I was in a cave. With a dragon.”

He paused to gauge Hunk’s reaction so far. His face pretty much matched Lance’s expectations; “Is this guy for real?”. But Hunk waved a hand for him to continue, or probably elaborate.

“Listen, I know it sounds insane. I wouldn’t believe me if I were you, either. But I _swear_ Hunk, it was a real dragon. And he was huge! Like, bigger than this whole building, huge! At first I was _seriously_ freaked out. Like, a fucking _dragon,_ you know? And I woke up in this cave, this huge cave. Apparently dragons like to keep whatever wanders in their territory. But more than that, I wasn’t allowed to leave because he was afraid I’d go telling everyone about this dragon in the mountains. Which… I guess I’m kind of doing right now… But it’s not like you would raise pitchforks and go hunt him down and shit, I mean, _right?_ And he could turn into a human guy, which he did kind of a lot. He looked like some kind of punk like that though. He had a _mullet,_ dude. A fucking mullet.”

“Wait,” Hunk blinked, his eyes squinting a little. “This dragon kidnapped you. And he could turn into a hot guy?”

“Woah, I didn’t say he was hot!”

“Dude.” Hunk deadpanned. “You started blushing when you mentioned the punk look. You were so into it.”

Lance spluttered. “Dude! So not the point!”

“Sorry, continue.” Hunk snickered a little, struggling in vain to hide his amused smirk.

“Anyway, we obviously talked a lot while I was there. And, like, at first I totally needed to like _get out of there_ , y’know? But we were talking and he acted all like the big tough dragon, but he was scared of humans. Like, really scared. But he was also really into humans, or at least learning about them. He had a lot of questions for me. It was sad, really… I felt sorry for him. He was so isolated, and for so long. You know he’s like, _centuries_ years old? And… you should’ve seen his _eyes,_ Hunk. They were… well, purple for one thing. But it was weird, like, your eyes are always soft and kind. Pidge’s are sharp and smart. But Keith’s-”

“His name is _Keith_?”

“That’s my name for him. His eyes were, as cheesy as it sounds, like kaleidoscopes. Like, they’d be firey and fierce. And then empty and sad. And we had a snowball fight, and made snow angels, and he looked genuinely happy.”

Hunk nodded as he listened, his large hand stroking his chin in thought. “You’re so into him.”

“Dude!”

“Sorry, sorry.” He held his hands up in surrender, but the laugh in his voice proved he wasn’t sorry at all. “But you said he was holding you prisoner or something, so you couldn't tell other humans? Then… why are you here now?”

Lance took a deep breath. “So, his half of the cave was like ‘forbidden’ or something. And… I might have gone over there to check it out anyway… All he had were these pictures of diagrams, or photographs of this… one guy. And this book. That was about it! But he got all super pissed off and like, kicked me out. He looked _really_ mad, especially in his human form. But he said he couldn’t kill me, and told me to just… go home.”

“Sounds like a really nice dude.” Hunk said after a moment. “And, just to make sure, you never hit your head out there?”

Lance groaned. “No, Hunk. I am not insane. I _swear_ it’s true!”

“Okay, fine. It’s true.”

“You mean… you believe me? Really?”

“You have no reason to really lie to me. And you’re my best friend. It sounds insane, but sure, I believe you.”

Lance could’ve cried. “You are the best dude ever, I swear.” He sat up straight, hands slamming down on Hunk’s mattress. “We have to go help him.”

“Wait, us? Go help a dragon? How? He doesn’t even need help!”

“Us, and Pidge, of course. We have to make him see that humans aren’t evil, that he’s not in any danger.”

Hunk no longer looked amused. He poked his fingers together, his lips pursing in thought. “Okay, but Lance… _we_ may not want to hurt him, but we can’t speak for _everyone_. I mean, it’s a dragon. Believed to be myths, from fairytales. No doubt some people are going to want to like, experiment and stuff on him.”

“Not if they don’t know he’s a dragon. He can stay in his human form.”

“But he probably won’t _like_ that. Wouldn’t you rather like being who you are, without having to hide?”

Lance frowned. Leave it to Hunk to be the rational voice of reason. “But… we have to help. We can’t just leave him out there, terrified of humans.”

“What’re we supposed to do?”

Lance thought for a few moments. “I-I don’t know. But I’ll think of something!”

“Well, if you do, I’ve got your back, buddy.”

Lance smiled. “Thanks, man.”

~~~~~~

Lance left explaining things to Pidge for Hunk. He was better at talking to her for the most part anyway. He wasn’t sure if he would actually succeed before they left, but as he prepared a ship to leave, Hunk arrived with their comm spec.

“This sounds completely insane, you know that right?” Pidge grumbled as they boarded.

“Yeah, so I’ve heard.” Lance muttered back. “Are we ready now?”

Hunk sighed, shouldering his bag. “We could so get kicked out for this.”

“That’s only if we get caught. Which is why we’re leaving at _night,_ remember? Besides, I’m already on probation for wrecking the other ship. Go big or go home.” He shrugged as he plopped down into the pilot seat, buckling his harness. “Just glad I have my team with me this time.”

“Wonderful.” Pidge mumbled.

They prepared for take off, and then they were flying out of the city and into the large valley before the mountains. Lance tried as hard as he could to follow the same path he did that fateful night, but his memory was a little fuzzy considering that was almost two weeks ago. This time around, he didn’t get the same gratifying buzz that came with flying. His mind was on finding that cave, and Keith.

 _Keith._ Lance frowned. Hunk was _so_ far off. There was no way Lance was actually into him. But every time he tried to explain why he cared so much about Keith’s happiness and well-being… well, he couldn’t exactly _place_ it. He just knew he couldn’t live with Keith living alone and scared.

“Come on, come on…” He whispered to himself, his eyes scanning the vast space of snow. He hadn’t seen an inch of familiar territory yet, and the mountains were getting closer and closer.

“Lance, if we even find this dragon-”

“Keith.” Lance corrected. “His name is Keith.”

“If we even find _Keith,_ who’s to say he’ll even, y’know, talk to us? Let himself be seen?” Hunk asked.

“He has to.” Lance said, determined. “It’s this thing about dragons. They’re very territorial. At least, that’s what he said. They like to- oh! Hold on!” Lance spotted a cluster of metal pieces he recognized as a Garrison ship. The one he crashed.

He directed the ship over to land nearby, ignoring Hunk’s retching behind him. They touched down a little gracelessly, and Lance hardly waited for the engine to stop before he was unbuckled and running out of the vessel.

“Keith!” He yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Come and get us, you fat, useless dragon!”

“Okay, so he’s even crazier than we thought. Got it.” Pidge sighed.

“Lance, is it really a good idea to piss off a dragon?” Hunk asked nervously.

Lance ignored them. “KEITH! Come on, man! We’re right here! In _your_ territory! Or are you as spineless and pathetic as I thought!?”

Lance nearly face-planted into the snow when the ground rumbled violently. “Holy shit!” He heard Pidge yell. He spun around and there in his large, red glory was Keith himself. He still seemed angry and radiated heat, but he was calmer than when they last saw each other.

“You’re an idiot for coming back.” Keith said, ignoring the other two- who were currently freaking out over the fact that there was a very _real_ dragon right there- for now.

Lance couldn’t help but laugh lightly. “Last time, you said I was just an idiot.” He crossed his arms, a little surprised that he sounded more calm and confident than he felt. “We need to talk.”


End file.
